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What do you like LEAST about the Starbucks experience? (pick all that apply)
#Response DateOther comments:
1.8/14/2008 7:38:00 AMThey water down their bold coffee. Don't they realize what bold means?
2.8/14/2008 7:55:00 AMIt's absolutely everywhere and people don't know what a real cappuccino or macchiato are supposed to even be. So, an independent coffee shop has a more difficult time of offering authentic drinks when people expect the immitations that Starbucks has been pawning off for years.
3.8/14/2008 7:57:00 AMOversaturation maybe...too many locations is a bit annoying, but hey...if they can make the business model work...why not?
4.8/14/2008 9:38:00 AMI don't know whether they've amplified the music or if they've just become a hangout for loud people, but it's no longer a good place to meet.
5.8/14/2008 10:49:00 AMMost often I haven't been satisfied with the service -- they are too loud in discussing work and personal lives behind the counter, and aren't very personable, perhaps since I'm not a regular.
6.8/14/2008 10:57:00 AMAgain the answer is neutral. I don't dislike anything about Starbucks. I most like the community/camaraderie but it isn't exclusive to Starbucks it just happens to be something i get because I attend with friends....hard to give them credit for the good company.
7.8/14/2008 11:36:00 AMHard to justify the cost without considering the ambiance
8.8/14/2008 11:41:00 AMThey did not understand the core of their brand and refresh it as needed...they took a QSR approach and forgot that they are a lifestyle brand
9.8/14/2008 11:47:00 AMWay too much attitude. Not at all interested in all the fattening speciality drinks - just want a cup of coffee. Food is generally terrible in the U.S; much better in international locations (UK, China, etc)
10.8/14/2008 11:51:00 AMTo their credit, I liked getting the free syrup as a Starbucks cardholder, which took about 9% off my monthly bill there.
11.8/14/2008 11:59:00 AMThe Frou Frou customization - lowfat soy skim latte and then with carmel (sugar)
12.8/14/2008 12:01:00 PMThere is a bit of phony-baloney with the idea of &quot;community&quot; at a place so commercially oriented. Also, some of the airport locations don't seem to brew the same coffee, and the product suffers.
13.8/14/2008 12:10:00 PMAll I want is a good cup of black coffee.
14.8/14/2008 12:16:00 PMThe way they are jaming their lame house blend down our throats. I like a bold coffee. Not that mild swill they offer in the afternoon. Also, there is too much clutter in the store. Finally, the cloth soft chairs are basically petri dishes.
15.8/14/2008 12:26:00 PMright now they just seem to be trying too hard...there's a sense of desperation as you walk in the door
16.8/14/2008 12:32:00 PMthe merchandise (CDs, coffee-makers, etc.)
17.8/14/2008 12:41:00 PMit is getting better but the wait kept me away for a long time. I wait for very little and Stabucks was legendary for the wait time
18.8/14/2008 12:52:00 PMMy current fave is a much more local cafe with coffee beans roasted more mellow, not as bitter as Starbucks Espresso Roast.
19.8/14/2008 1:02:00 PMThe stores have become dirtier in recent years - much less attention paid to to keeping cream/sugar bars and dining tables clean.
20.8/14/2008 1:22:00 PMVery expensive.
21.8/14/2008 1:24:00 PMIt would be easy to say price/value, but if I went to Starbucks and paid the same for a cup of coffee as I would at a diner, the coffee probably wouldn't seem to taste as good to me.
22.8/14/2008 1:26:00 PMThe time it takes for people to make up their mind about what kind of fancy coffee they want. Second, the time it then takes to make it. Waste fo time when all I want is a straight up coffee.
23.8/14/2008 1:37:00 PMEverything about it is faux
24.8/14/2008 1:58:00 PMSometimes the background music is too loud.
25.8/14/2008 2:00:00 PMNew Pike's Place coffee is not distinctive - and is all that's available in Decaf in the morning. Crew doesn't seem as engaged or friendly - and they don't recognize my order before I place it the way they used to.
26.8/14/2008 2:14:00 PMthe drive-thru
27.8/14/2008 2:17:00 PMSee above.
28.8/14/2008 2:20:00 PMInconsistent
29.8/14/2008 2:22:00 PMCoffee OK, not worth the price. I have my own espresso machine and did long before Starbucks stated.
30.8/14/2008 2:28:00 PMNo Free INternet Service
31.8/14/2008 2:30:00 PMThe coffee itself is bitter but if you doctor it up with lots of sugar and milk, it is palatable. Starbucks is basically the &quot;devil you know&quot; when you are unfamiliar with other alternatives in the neighborhood.
32.8/14/2008 2:31:00 PMThe focus on coffee has been lost
33.8/14/2008 2:38:00 PMTotally overpriced for what you get
34.8/14/2008 2:43:00 PMCan be scruffy and untidy
35.8/14/2008 2:48:00 PMit's just so corporate. cookie cutter. no soul. and the coffee tastes burnt.
36.8/14/2008 2:49:00 PMNot surprisingly, it gets pretty crowded during peak hours.... so the ambience is pretty much assembly line.
37.8/14/2008 2:50:00 PMJust too crowded ... for the masses ... nothing special about the experience, and the ambience has become horrible!
38.8/14/2008 2:58:00 PMThe coffee is improperly roasted and brewed, and the sense of community has been homogenized out of existence.
39.8/14/2008 3:28:00 PMReally they can't make a decent cup of coffee and I loathe the whole specialty drink thing. I prefer to drink coffee and not be bombarded w/items to buy.
40.8/14/2008 3:43:00 PMthe answer above is fudged, because the thing I like LEAST is the ubiquity of the stores
41.8/14/2008 3:44:00 PMRight now, they seem to be trying too hard to get repeat customers.
42.8/14/2008 4:02:00 PMToo much waste. They use way too many paper cups and plastic lids and have no overt commitment in store to minimize waste, beyond cardboard sleeves.
43.8/14/2008 4:12:00 PMI HATE the fact that they changed the city mugs by removing the city name from the handle and the city nick-name on the inside. I've stopped collecting them because of this.
44.8/14/2008 4:19:00 PMbecoming oversaturated, losing it's soul, feeling more plastic, more McCoffee, less authenticity
45.8/14/2008 4:28:00 PMFood is terrible. Specialty drinks are too sweet. Customer service is unpredictable. Ambiance is often cold. No sense of community. Prices are high.
46.8/14/2008 4:28:00 PMits omnipresence and Starbucks as symbol of big business squeezing out the little (good) cafe
47.8/14/2008 4:51:00 PMcalories in the coffee, confusion about what you can get
48.8/14/2008 4:51:00 PMIt's too spread thin to really create community anymore.
49.8/14/2008 4:54:00 PMCustomer service can be tricky. When it's good, the whole experience in-store is terrific but when they're off their game, not only does the experience suffer but the drinks do as well.
50.8/14/2008 4:54:00 PMThe food is pretty poor quality. They should buy and support local bakeries/cafes to upgrade the food choices or get out of the business!
51.8/14/2008 4:57:00 PMI like it pretty much once I'm there. But going in the first place...not so much.
52.8/14/2008 5:04:00 PMI have to face it -- Peet's coffe has spoled me. It really does taste better and I never get that burnt taste.
53.8/14/2008 5:05:00 PMfeels too corporate and not genuine enough. coffee product is not premium anymore compared to new brands on the market: peets, etc...
54.8/14/2008 5:17:00 PMProduct was unique. Now I can get a good cup of Joe at any number of Starbuck-like coffee shops
55.8/14/2008 5:38:00 PMAlthough the customer service is good, I feel like its not as good as it used to be, especially in their airport and outside traditional retail locations.
56.8/14/2008 6:06:00 PMThey junked up the stores with teddy bears, etc. The staff are typical fast food workers, not people who know or care about coffee. And I hate how they are always yelling the drink orders - especially in the morning, it gives me a headache.
57.8/14/2008 6:48:00 PMCalorie content in drinks
58.8/14/2008 6:51:00 PMAt the end of the day, it's a chain.
59.8/14/2008 8:03:00 PMThe coffee is over-roasted and very bitter.
60.8/14/2008 10:10:00 PMWay, way to expensive.
61.8/15/2008 3:02:00 AMthe line... the wait
62.8/15/2008 12:32:00 PMIn my market they no longer butter the bagel. Instead they give you three pads of butter and a plastic knife wraped in plastic. So I need to do the work while driving and there is more waste for the environment. Frankly, I'm cooling fast on the so called Starbucks experience.
63.8/15/2008 3:18:00 PMneed more healthy options
64.8/15/2008 4:33:00 PMCustomer service has begun to vary - you used to always get a good experience at any Starbucks, now you can get the chatty teenagers.
65.8/15/2008 7:31:00 PMThe wait. There is usually a line.
66.8/15/2008 8:21:00 PMLines, price, too much milk, too popular.
67.8/15/2008 8:43:00 PMhaving to &quot;fix&quot; my own coffee with milk and sugar
68.8/18/2008 3:50:00 PMGenerally it's the overexposure. What's unique about a store when across the street is another? Also, the addition of the music deal was poor.
69.8/18/2008 8:16:00 PMCoffee is not my favorite, too strong for someone who drinks black coffee, too expensive, prepared food is way overpriced and doesn't taste good
70.8/19/2008 11:51:00 AMI'm not opposed to the idea of prepared foods, but think they could do a better job with it.